Monthly Archives: December 2006

“A rapist who has struck at least five times since April in and around Baytown has not only spread fear in this working-class community but also piqued the interest of those who study the criminal mind. The reason: He preys on other men.
That makes him something of a rarity in the world of crime.”

Is that a fact?

“”It’s the least prevalent kind of serial rape, and largely underreported,” said Jack Levin, a leading criminologist and director of the Brudnick Center on Violence at Northeastern University in Boston.
Levin and other experts say male-on-male rape sometimes stems from sexual encounters gone bad. But that does not appear to be the case with the rapist in this oil-refining town of 70,000 people about 30 miles east of Houston.
Instead, he methodically identifies and stalks young men and attacks them at gunpoint or knifepoint in or near their homes, according to police Capt. Roger Clifford. Sometimes he robs his victims, too, but rape appears to be the primary motivation, police said.
“This is certainly of interest, an interesting case,” Levin said.”

Putting it mildly.

“The U.S. Justice Department says one in 33 men in the United States has been a victim of a rape or attempted rape, compared with one in six women. Experts say men are far less likely to report a rape to authorities, because they fear being perceived as weak or see the attack as an assault on their masculinity.”

Let’s look at those stats again: One in thirty-three vs. one in six.
So, taking everything into consideration, do men have that much to worry about?

“In fact, investigators in Baytown fear there may be other victims of the rapist who are too ashamed to come forward.
“There’s a lot of emotional damage that goes with being raped, especially when the victims are men,” said Lynn Parrish, a spokeswoman for the National Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network. But she added: “The best way to get this rapist off the street is for more people to come forward.”

More than mere”emotional damage” if someone’s threatening you with a knife or a gun. I should think loss of “masculinity” would be a secondary concern.

But that’s just me.

“Three of the attacks have occurred in the city, the other two on the outskirts of town. The most recent attack was Nov. 30. Clifford would not give details of the rapes but said at least one victim managed to thwart the attack.
No one has been seriously hurt.
“But it’s only going to take one victim who resists enough or in the wrong way until the gun is going to go off, the knife is going to be used, and we’re going to have a victim with serious injuries or who’s dead,” Clifford said.”

Consider yourself warned. Big time.

Criminologists have seen cases of serial killers who raped or otherwise had sex with their male victims — among them, John Wayne Gacy and Jeffrey Dahmer. But psychologically, this is a different phenomenon.
Levin said it is rare for a serial rapist to become a serial killer.
“I think the reason has to do with the absence or presence of a conscience,” he said. “A serial rapist is more likely to have a conscience. Otherwise they’d take the life and silence the victim.”

Well that’s a blessing. Sort of.

Victims have described the Baytown attacker as a clean-shaven black man, 18 to 21 years old, 5-foot-10 to 6 feet tall and about 200 pounds, with a shaved head.

You mean — like this?

Somehow I doubt it.

” Police have released a sketch and are working with the FBI’s behavioral sciences unit to develop a psychological profile. DNA testing also is under way.”

Isn’t it always?

Fliers with the sketch have been circulated around schools and Baytown’s Lee College, with an enrollment of about 6,000.
Jay Ali, an 18-year-old who works at the local mall, said he has been spreading the word among friends. “There’s a loose psycho running around raping men,” he said.

That should help, one hopes.

Or will the warnings be ignored?

The local paper, The Baytown Sun, has run the sketch and details of the crimes at the top of its front page nearly every day since the most recent attack, and an electronic bulletin board on its Web site is filled with discussion about the rapes.
“I have selfish reasons for wanting this guy caught,” Marie W. wrote in a posting Dec. 12. “I have a son who fits this guy’s target group. … I want him off the streets and locked up like yesterday.”

So do we all.

And yet the sense of spectacle is hard to resist. For as the great Jerry Orbach sang —

“Rape!
R-a-a-a-pe!
Raa-aa-aa-pe!

A pretty rape!
A literary rape!

We’ve the obvious open schoolboy rape,
With little mandolins and perhaps a cape.
The rape by coach; it’s little in request.
The rape by day, but the rape by night is best.

Just try to see it.
And you will soon agree, señors,
Why
Invite regret,
When you can get the sort of rape
You’ll never ever forget.

You can get the rape emphatic.
You can get the rape polite.
You can get the rape with Indians:
A very charming sight.
You can get the rape on horseback;They’ll all say it’s new and gay.
So you see the sort of rape
Depends on what you pay.
It depends on what you
Pay.

The kids will love it.
It depends on what you pay!
So why be stingy?
It depends on what you —

The spectacular rape,
With costumes ordered from the East.
Requires rehearsal
And takes a dozen men at least.
A couple of singers,
And a string quartet.
A major production.
Requires a set.

Sounds expensive!

Just try to see it.
And you will soon si,si señors,
Why
Invite regret,
When you can get the sort of rape
You’ll never ever forget.

You can get the rape emphatic.
You can get the rape polite.
You can get the rape with Indians:
A very charming sight.
You can get the rape on horseback;They’ll all say it’s new and gay.
So you see the sort of rape
Depends on what you pay.
It depends on what you
Pay.

So why be stingy?
It depends on what you pay!
The kids will love it.
It depends on what you —

The comic rape.
Perhaps it’s just a trifle too unique.
Romantic rape:
Done while canoeing on a moonlit creek.
The gothic rape!
I play “Valkyrie” on a bass bassoon!
The drunken rape.
It’s done completely in a cheap saloon.

The rape Venetian
Needs a blue lagoon.
The rape with moonlight
Or without a moon.
Moonlight is expensive but it’s in demand.
The military rape:
It’s done with drummer and a band.

You understand?
I understand.
It’s very grand.
It’s very grand.
It’s done with drums and a great big brass band!
Yeah!

Just try to see it.
I see it!
I see it!
And you will soon si,si señors,
Why
Invite regret,
When you can get the sort of rape
You’ll never ever forget.

You can get the rape emphatic.
You can get the rape polite.
You can get the rape with Indians:
A very charming sight.
You can get the rape on horseback;They’ll all say it’s new and gay.
So you see the sort of rape
Depends on what you pay.
So you see the sort of rape
Depends on what you pay.
So you see the sort of rape
Depends on what you pay.
So you see the sort of rape
Depends on what you pay.
Depends on what you pay.
Depends on what you pay.
Depends on what you pay.
Depends on what you pay.

So why be stingy?
It depends on what you pay!
The kids will love it.
It depends on what you